Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-03-05

/ for the three most complete lists of char
aCters tosbc found in his works of fiction
/ All lists must be at The HailStone Com
/ petition Office, King William street, Lon
. don, f. G. before l2p m. on Dec 81. 1885
Intending competitors would do well
To notice the following most important fact
MIR. Hailstone's new novels will appear
monthly, and will all be included in the
competition up TO September next BY
/ this arrangement every English speaking
nation and colony will enjoy equal chances
/ Of success with the United Kingdom.
Any inquiries or communications ad-
dressed To The Office, as above, will re
Ceive immediate attention. Bankers,
Messrs. Misery 4 Iron. London.
/ There is no entrance fee Of any kind. +"
/ From the first Mr.. Hailstone's under
/ taking assumed gigantic proportions and
( the interest occasioned by his manifesto
as soon as its genuineness and solidity
were put beyond question, appeared very
considerable indeed.
| Ninety-three English publishers were
/ upon our authors track Immediately and
double that number Of American ones also
busted themselves-not with Hailstone
but his writings. Though he made no
money in America, however, Felix came
fairly well ont Of much piracy and tribu
lation; for amidst reproduction reviews
and reproaches, he was read, and the laws
of international Copyright, for once,
played an authors game in spite of him
self
At home matters fell out differently
Hailstone became q notable man; good
deal was written Of him and his books
these latter suddenly acquired eXtrinsiC
value, and the English rights of repro
ducing them We're paid for in sums of
three figures.
New editions of Hailstone became the
order Of the day, and hardly a man or
woman, though he or she might have no
intention Of actually participating in the
coming contest, but bought one at least of
the now celebrated novels
Then was The Torch relighted; then
did the ''Shockers" pile themselves feet
high on the book stalls. and the historic
tome extend its ponderous form; for thou
sands of eager brains were devotinG them
selves to Hailstone and all his works.
Certain novels-perhaps ten in all
their author refused TO republish. thereby
giving rise TO much excitement, much
despair among those who could not pro-
cure the works in question, much jubila-
ton among those who did.
Literary papers amidst their chronicles
Of rare book finds, imminent sales of
scarce publications. and SO forth, would
contain such items Of news ~ the follow
ing:
Mr.. Jones, Of Peckham Rye. was for
tunate enough on Friday last to discover
in a cupboard. unopened for many years,
Felix Hailstones Fallen Angel, novel
Of which only thirteen copies are in exist
ence. The prologue has unfortunately
been eaten by mice"
Or this:
1.-TWO dustmen. in the exercise Of their
vocation yesterday afternoon in West
kensngton, simultaneously CHANGED upon
Ha2stone's Tiger Lily in u place where,
until the present sensation period, it
might naturally have been expected The
scayengers came to blows and row each
is said to posses half the book. 1t parted
at page 2Os.
This novel. we may mention, was eX-
ceedingly rare, and the two portions were
purchased by a company Of ten specula-
ors who farmed The Tiger Lily with
are and success until another copy turned
up i'll Yorkshire.
People got into prison over the Hail
stone competition alsO-a sure sign that
the scheme was doing well Many spuri-
Gus volumes purporting to be from Hail
stones pen appeared; but there was in
these, invariably some shadow of ability
or interest which convicted the authors
without need Of Felix's own disclaimer.
These gentlemen suffered at the hands of
justice, and nature herself was also re
ported as having victims to the Hailstone
competition; but whether prolonged and
severe intercourse with our author 5 fic
ton really did on any occasion turn a
sane man into a lunatic cannot now be
known with truth. Ten thousand pounds
is u large sum of money, and men have
certainly before now rsked the madhouse
for less than half Of it.
In truth the laurels Of fame rested at
last on Felix Hailstone's brow. Some
body brought out new pair Of braces,
which rendered the domestic button a
thing of no further account, and to our
novelist was this revolutionary suspender
dedicated. Then a biography with por
trait Of Hailstone appeared: and a gentle
man, who, il was rumored, would take a
prize in the competition, but who ulti-
mately failed 10 get among the first ten,
brought forward work entitled Hail
stonana.'' The 'Hailstone Birthday
Book" also enjoyed some patronage, and
at a theatre. where YOU went in with
out cost and then paid for programmes,
fresh air and other necessaries. brisk busi-
ness was reported TO be doing with some
thing ponderous and dismal, attributed TO
Hailstone's early youth.
Meantime our author kept his word TO
the public, and. amidst all the labors aris-
ing from his great undertaking, produced,
monthly, brand new and original novel;
but not, 1t need hardly be said, at his own
expense Publishers bid high, and prob
ABLY never since the earliest cave man